Today was one of those days when you just put your head down and pedal. Strong headwinds were present for 52 miles before the last eight miles provided a vector of tailwind, thank goodness. Average speed was between 8 and 9 mph. Actually the weather did not exactly match the forecast. We started early to finish earlier since there was a heat warning for the afternoon. Instead we got wind and a little cold front passed around noon that actually lowered the temperature, and changed the wind direction and increased the speed. The route followed state highways with virtually no traffic. I did look up from the pavement long enough to capture some photos. One observation, it is bird nesting time. As you ride along you flush them off their nests in the long grass along the road, and they then harass you by flying just over your head or in front of you for a 100 yards or so until you have crossed their safety boundary. There are many ponds of various sizes along the road as well, “prairie potholes”. You know the wind is blowing hard when there are whitecaps on some of them.

Today is our 45th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary to my life partner and SAG driver. Thank you for sharing these adventures. Ten years ago this day, when I first crossed the country, we celebrated by camping in Utah far from any town. Tonight we are in a motel in Jamestown, ND, a definite improvement.